


i was kissing strangers

by spoolesofthread



Category: Easy Allies RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 14:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15512223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoolesofthread/pseuds/spoolesofthread
Summary: Kyle feels like he might rather be dunking his head in his coffee than putting his already overworked brain through whatever this is.Ian needs Kyle's help; he's not sure when he became so willing to do anything she asked.





	i was kissing strangers

The two of them are in a crowded coffee shop, one that Ian insisted to him was her favorite. _C’mon Bossy! Best coffee you ever tasted, and yes I know that’s a tall order except that it’s not because you are the kind of person who makes instant coffee, which is certifiably gross._

To be fair, the coffee _is_ really good. And he’s having a good time, sitting in the coffee shop with Ian and not having to worry about work interrupting or their friends shooting Kyle extremely pointed glances. Just the two of them is easy, it comes as natural as breathing. 

Which is why he doesn’t expect the sudden panicked look that overtakes Ian’s face as she ducks her head down. A useless enough effort considering the signature bright pink sunglasses perched on her head that always give her away, but whatever. His back is to the door, so he tries to twist around in his chair to see what could possibly have her so alarmed. But Ian hisses a “Don’t!” at him and he freezes, slowly turns back around to face her.

“Ian, seriously, what’s going on?” He’s resigned to being at Ian’s observational mercy, but he would still like to be in on things if he can.

Ian looks pained and takes a long, slow sip of her tea. “My ex is here and she saw me and she’s definitely going to come over here and try to talk to me because she’s very nice, and because I am forever alone, this obviously cannot happen.”

It’s hard not to laugh at the situation, but Ian’s clear distress and her casual comment about being alone kind of kill his amusement at it. He can’t blame her for not knowing, but it does make him hurt to think she’s just going through life thinking no one would want to be with her. Especially when he’s right across from her. That’s his fault though; he’s the one who can’t open his mouth and fess up and hasn’t been able to do it for months now.

He already doesn’t like the look in her eye when she starts speaking. “Wait. I got it. You pretend to be my date, just for like five minutes. Please, pretty please?” She looks at him wide eyed, doing her best impersonation of a puppy wanting food from the table. Kyle sighs heavily, feels like he might rather be dunking his head in his coffee than putting his already overworked brain through whatever this is.

“Ian–”

“Kyle, don’t make me look like a lonely fool. Plus it makes you look like you have good taste since you’re dating me!”

He groans, slumps his head down on the table. “Fine.” His gut twists uncomfortably at the bright smile she shoots him when he sits up straight again, intensely aware that this isn’t real. They aren’t dating, she just needs him to be a front for her. He can do that, he’d happily do most things for her, but that doesn’t mean the faux niceties aren’t going to keep him up tonight.

Ian was right though, and her ex does approach the table. She’s dark haired, colorfully attired, and looks like she has nearly as much energy as Huber – exactly what Kyle would expect of someone Ian would date, and most importantly very much the opposite of himself.

He doesn’t really pay attention to their conversation past the girl’s name, because her attention clearly isn’t on Kyle. He’s more focused on the way Ian quietly took his hand just before the girl got there, the way her skin feels against his and how her hands are much colder than he expected from someone drinking a hot cup of tea.

For a moment he allows his mind to drift, allows himself to fabricate what life could look like if this was real. The two of them holding hands at coffee shops, pressed close together on Jones’s couch, ordering dinner after a failed attempt at making it. What Ian would look like wrapped in his sheets with the early morning sun falling over her.

His heart twists painfully in his chest and he has to pull himself away from the brink of fantasy. He can’t do this to himself, not with Ian right there. It’s stupid, he’s stupid, this whole thing is stupid. He’s making Ian look good for her ex, and that’s it.

He’s pulled away from his thoughts as the girl addresses him – or more accurately, as Ian squeezes his hand and grins as she introduces him.

The girl smiles widely, gives him a small finger wave. “So you’re the infamous Kyle Bosman. I feel like I heard about you more than anyone else. No wonder we didn’t work out, you two are cute.”

Kyle ducks his head in embarrassment and gives Ian a look. “Yeah, that’s me, the one and only. I can already imagine what she said about me – no, trust me, I know it was all bad things,” he says, but he’s smiling as he does and the girl laughs while Ian gives him an offended look.

“Hey, not all bad things! Only like, ninety-five percent bad things," the girl says, laughing.

The conversation goes on for a couple more minutes until the girl’s phone chimes and she rushes away with an apology for her abrupt exit. Apparently she was late meeting someone.

Kyle sighs in relief when she’s gone, leans back in his chair. “She’s certainly something.”

Ian snorts and pulls her hand away, pops a couple of her knuckles as she reaches for her tea. He tries not to feel a sense of loss as he wraps both of his hands around his coffee. “Tell me about it. Thanks for helping, Bossy, that would’ve sucked otherwise.”

He smiles and shakes his head. “Like your life doesn’t suck anyway?” he teases.

They fall back into the conversation easily, bickering over whether Ian complains too much or if Kyle is too mean to her. His mind stays mostly on the conversation, but he can’t erase the lingering feeling of her hand in his.

Oh, he is so screwed.

**Author's Note:**

> i can't stop writing about these two dorks, i have so much saved up to post
> 
> title is from sky full of song by florence + the machine


End file.
